What About Safety and Value in Clayton Built® Homes?

You hear one thing about manufactured housing, and then another thing, and before you know it, you’re lost in a sea of confusion about different terms and building standards. Well, I’m here to set some old stereotypes straight! Let’s iron out misunderstandings that may cause confusion about an amazing and affordable housing option.

At Clayton, everything we do is with our goals in mind. One of our main goals is to build you a home that will not only set the bar for the newest and trendy styles, but will also show you our high standards for safety and durability.

Let’s be honest, buying a home is a HUGE and exciting process and that’s why we know you want to be cautious about the safety and durability of your home. So, let’s get into all facts about ensuring our homes exceed your expectations on every level.

The Truth About Safety Inspections

With your traditional site-built construction process, building codes are determined by state and local governments, which means home builders must have their homes inspected by municipal inspectors. This also means they are not required to have a third-party inspector.

Hold up: Does this mean the pressure is on the home buyer to hire their own third-party inspector to evaluate the true safety of their site-built home? The answer is yes, and we do not think that’s right.

When you choose a Clayton Built® home, our home builders are required to have a third-party inspector evaluate each home during the construction process. This, along with numerous internal inspections, ensures your home is built to the highest standards before it ever leaves the home building facility. That’s right, your home buying check list just became a little easier.

The Truth About Safety During Storms

You may have heard manufactured homes are not safe during storms. Here are some facts:

In a 2007 article, FEMA noted newer manufactured homes built and installed to the 1994 HUD standard fared better than older homes in high wind speeds. Manufactured homes can still experience wind damage, but FEMA noted direct damage to these homes — meaning damage to the home itself and not damage resulting from failures in the home’s anchorage system — is comparable to the direct damage traditional site-built homes experience during high winds.

A tornado's deadly force does not selectively discriminate between a site-built and off-site built home. It’s important to remember that the only safe place to be during a tornado is in a proper shelter.

For a firsthand account, read about how this family’s Clayton Built® home was still standing after going face to face with category 4 Hurricane Michael.

The Truth About Your Home Value

You may have also heard all manufactured homes depreciate over time, leaving many home buyers discouraged about their purchase after a few years.

But as with traditional site-built homes, appreciation of an off-site built home depends on a combination of factors, like the home’s condition, the location, amenities available in that location, and the supply and demand in the housing market for the home and its features.

This is why the Clayton Built® team is excited to announce the CrossMod® category of homes. These homes combine the best features of site-built and off-site built housing to provide you more opportunities when picking your perfect home. And the best part? These homes can appraise similarly to traditional site-built homes.

Do you want to learn more about how a Clayton Built® home is constructed? Then try Clayton Unbuilt, a virtual tool that allows you to take apart a real home to find out exactly what’s inside.